Regina King on the ‘fascinating’ beauty of black hair

The actress says black women are the 'tastemakers when it comes to hair'

31/03/2016 01:13 PM

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BLACK BEAUTY: Actress Regina King

FROM BRAIDS to pixie cuts, Emmy Award-winning actress Regina King has cemented her place as a Hollywood hairstyle chameleon.

And in a new video, the award-winning actress is opening up about black women’s ability to be versatile with their hair and that the many different textures and styles of Afro hair is truly "phenomenal".

The Ray made this declaration in the latest episode of The Hair Tales, an online show where successful black women in Hollywood share their hair stories.

The show was created by cultural critic Michaela Angela Davis who believes there is a story in every curl, coil and kink — so she invited King to share her own story in the show’s final episode in the series.

In the video, King discusses her breakout role on the NBC show 227. She said joining the sitcom in the late 80s marked the first time she applied a relaxer to her hair to help make it straight.

“When I started 227 is when I got my first relaxer. It burned,” King admits in the footage. “My scalp didn’t like me liking the relaxer.”

She goes on to question the cultural influences imposed on her and to talk about how her roles in the 1991 cult classic Boyz N The Hood and the 1993 film Poetic Justice also marked defining moments for her and her hair journey. King starred in both films as separate characters who rocked braids.

“[They] represented so many girls I knew in high school,” King says. “The braids represented that regular beautiful black girl.”

King credits black women for creating styles in ways she says has set the bar high for all women of all races. Through it all, she says hair among women, regardless of style, will always hold special meaning.

“It all starts with your hair.

“A lot of your confidence lies in your tresses.”

The Hair Tales creator Davis said the video was inspired by King’s role as Shalika in Boyz N The Hood and it is dedicated to every "regular beautiful black girl" that ever was and always will be,” she told The Huffington Post.

To mark the closing episode of her premiere series, Davis also wanted to celebrate King for her outstanding portrayals over the years and highlight the power she believes King’s work represents.

“For decades, Regina has been bringing black girl realness to a Hollywood hostile to that notion,” Davis said. “From a precocious little girl on the block, to a ballers wife, to a complex American Muslim, we’ve seen her bring an easy beauty and honesty to every rich and ‘regular’ character she’s ever embodied.”

“We trust her, completely,” Davis added. “She is that beautiful black girl we all know. She is a great American actress.”

Posted on: 31/03/2016 01:13 PM

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